from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
The AOC and AOP labels.
The Appellation
d'Origine Contrôlée, AOC. The Controlled Mark of Origin
The Appellation
d'Origine Protégée, AOP. The Protected Designation of Origin
First, there was the French AOC, and now there is AOP as well.
However, for the consumer of French products nothing has changed.
It all began with
grading wines.
Most grading began, in 1855 and 1856. when
the best wines of Bordeaux were grouped into five categories called Crus; the
AOC designation came much later. (A
single cru is pronounced croo, as is the plural crus). The
different crus graded the unique places where the best grapes were grown along with
the type of soil; then came, most importantly, the wine's popularity. The
methods used in making the wine were not part of the rating, and at that
time, it was expected that the crus were divisions of quality that could and
would be changed as a wine improved or failed to keep up its standards and
public acceptance. However, since 1856, only one wine in Bordeaux has upgraded its status, and none has ever been downgraded.
The original rating
system for a wine’s cru was linked to the public’s evaluation of taste.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case today.
Moreover, modern agricultural methods
and viniculture have leveled the playing field for many wines. Today, a vintner may produce a fabulous wine from a vineyard in a fourth
cru while another producer with a second cru
vineyard may be producing a wine that would be labeled as a cheap plonk if it
came from anywhere else. Far better than buying by the date or the cru on a bottle is a pocket
wine guide to France or a good friend who knows his or her wines.
Later came food
products.
An AOP label’s
promise today
The AOP guarantees that every product is
produced uniquely, in a clearly defined place. All the ingredients and
additives, if any, are public knowledge.
When did the AOC and
AOP become legal labels?
Without a legal background, anyone and
anything could be labeled as a wine's producer, and misrepresentation was
rampant. The first French laws enacted in 1905 and 1919 gave the background to the AOC for wines. The years that followed saw other legislation that created an institution to inspect and control the allocation of grades. In 1925, the first product to be awarded an AOC cheese was the Roquefort sheep's cheese, not a wine.
Camembert de Normandie AOP
Photograph courtesy of Fromage de Normandie
Laws established the AOC in 1935 and 1936, along with laws creating the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine, the National Institute for Signs of Origin and Quality, known as INAO. INAO is today responsible for the administration of all of France's government food and wine labels, including AOC, AOP, Label Rouge, the red label, IGP (the English-language PGI), and Agriculture Biologique, the AB organic farming label. The AOP became
a legal label in 1992 as a Pan-European sign of quality.
Many consumers around the world, and surprisingly that includes quite many French men and women, assume that the products carrying the AOC and AOP labels have been recently tested for both quality and taste. However, who did the tasting for the Foin de or Crau AOC, which is a hay grown for animals, and the Huile Essentielle de Lavande AOC, an essential lavender oil used in aromatherapy, has never been questioned.
For the consumer, there is no difference between a
French product with
an AOC or an AOP.
The French AOC and AOP regulations are so
close to each other that consumers will notice no difference at all. In one single case, there was a battle over
who would own the AOP for a product.
Switzerland is associated with but is not a member of the European
Union and after a court battle won the right to place an AOP on Gruyere cheese,
France was left with an IGP for its own Gruyere.
The AOP, with a few minor changes, covers
and replaces France's AOC, as it has Portugal’s DDOS, Spain’s DOP, and Italy’s
DOCG, etc. All the AOP regulations
within the European Union and Switzerland are exactly the same.
Taureau de Camargue AOP
The first French grade of beef cattle to
have been awarded an AOC, now an AOP, for the constant and superior quality and
also the taste of the beef was the Taureau de Camargue. None of these animals will have been treated
with antibiotics or growth hormones. All the young animals must be raised by
their mothers until they are weaned.
The AOP and PGI
labels have ended the European label wars and most confusion linked to names has ended. Wherever you travel
with the European Union and Switzerland, the AOP includes the same regulations
and controls.
How do I choose a
wine?
For the separate post that covers French wines with an AOC/AOP, an IGP, and or a Vins de France label, click here.
I recommend that travelers in France use
one of the excellent English language (up-to-date) pocketbooks on wines. You do not need a wine-tasting course before you leave, though it might help. With a book for the local wines on hand, you
will be respected in a wine store or by a sommelier in a restaurant. They will,
hopefully, not try to get rid of old stock on someone who can clearly check
what is being sold. The AOC and AOP labels do not control the taste and caveat
emptor, while the AOC/AOP controls how a product was made it cannot control how
it was stored or cooked. There are nearly 400 named French AOP wines and over
40,000 producers,
Unfortunately, since
1935 with two exceptions no AOC wine has had its rating changed, one went up.
Products that have received an AOC award since the 1950s have been held to
higher standards. Now there are organoleptic tests for taste and smell; however,
stripping a product of its French AOC, once it has been awarded is unheard
of.
Since the first AOC was granted some one hundred years ago, not a single wine has been taken off the list. Listen to friends, listen to the sommelier, and read what the books say. Remember that storage is very, very important for wines, and storage and cooking are paramount for food products.
Products and produce
with an AOC/AOP
Over 350 wines
Forty-six cheeses including Abondance, Banon,
Beaufort, Bleu
d'Auvergne, Bleu
de Causses, Bleu
de Gex, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage, Brie
de Melun, Brie
de Meaux, Brocciu, Camembert
, Cantal
AOC, Chabichou
du Poitou, Charolais, Chevrotin,
Chaource
AOC, Comte
AOC, Crottin
de Chavignol, Époisses, Fourme
d'Ambert, Fourme de Montbrison Le
Chambérat, Laguiole
, Langres, Livarot, Mâconnais, Maroilles, Mont-d'Or, Pelardon,
Maroilles
AOP, Morbier, Munster
AOC, Neufchatel, Ossau-Iraty,
Pelardon
des Cévennes, Picodon, Pont-l'Évêque, Pouligny Saint-Pierre, Reblochon,
Rigotte de Condrieu Rocamadour, Roquefort, Saint
Nectaire, Sainte-Maure
de Touraine, Salers,
Sassenage, Selles sur Cher, Tome
des Bauges, and Valençay AOP.
One fresh cream,
Two grape brandies, Cognac and Armagnac, one Apple brandy Calvados, (Calvados is really two different
apple brandies and one pear and apple brandy) that all come from the
French mainland. One type of Rum.
A limited number of fruits and vegetables, including two magnificent table grapes, the Muscat du Ventoux grapes,
and the Raisin Chasselas de Moissac AOC
One fig, the Figues de Sollies.
Some special vegetables include the Tomate de Marmande, the Coco de Paimpol bean, and the Haricot Tarbais bean .
One special herb, the Garlic
from Cadour.
Some truly special poultry, the Volaille
de Bresse.
Four strains of cattle bred for their
beef: the Bœuf de Camargue AOC or Taureau
de Camargue AOC, Bœuf
Charolais AOC or Le Bœuf Charolais du Bourbonnais AOC, Bœuf Fin Gras du Mézenc AOC and the
Two strains of lamb the Prés-salés de la
Baie de Somme AOC and the Prés-salés du
Mont-Saint-Michel AOC
One unique small,
farmed mussel, the Moules de Bouchots de la
Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel.
and more.
and more.
How a product
receives an AOP in France today.
Following the award of a French AOC, another committee made up of representatives, including those from other European countries, checks the approval process. That procedure involves many steps and many
inspections and controls. To be awarded an AOC in France and a Pan-European AOP is a process that can
take years.
Pay’s d’Auge Cider AOP
The use of the
AOP label on French AOC products
As with all changes, not everyone is
happy. The existing French AOC holders, along with products with similar
ratings from other countries, were grandfathered in and received their AOPs without
any new inspections or controls. That includes the wines that have not been rated in the last 50 plus years. For the producers, the
holders of the French-issued AOP offer the added value of an accepted
accreditation across the European Union’s 28 member states,
If you are a French farmer, cheese maker,
vintner, or producer of products that have the right to use the initials AOP,
then you are practically made for life.
That same bankable value is the target for all those waiting for
approval of an AOP.
Moules de Bouchot AOP
The AOP label and
logo.
The same AOP logo in the same color and
design is used throughout the whole European Union. The label is available in French,
English, Italian, and German; no doubt other languages will be added later.
The French language Appellation d'Origine
Protégée
AOP
The English language Protected Designation of Origin
PD0
The Italian language Denominazione di Origine
Protetta.
DOP
The German language Geschützte
Ursprungsbezeichnung.
g.U.
The AOP is still a work in progress with
some of the newest members of the EU as they upgrade their production method and
must keep the same standards. One of the
most significant areas of growth is in organic agriculture and livestock.
The violet-colored garlic of Cadours.
Photograph courtesy of Ail Violet de
Cadours
An AOP genuinely
points the way to a unique product. But...
How will the European Union deal with
products that have never been tested in the last 50 or 100 years? How do you know if a product has been properly
stored? How do you know when a good product has been badly cooked? An AOC and
AOP guarantee that the product is unique, but when you are seated at the table,
only you may decide if it was worth the price you paid for it.
Bon Appétit.
Behind the French Menu
------------------------------------------
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Copyright 2010, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2024.
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